Brothers plead guilty after being caught attacking family member outside Edinburgh Sheriff Court

Sulayman Njie, 33, and Njanko Njie, 24, attacked one of their cousins as they were all leaving the Edinburgh Sheriff Court building in October last year.

Police officers and court security staff raced outside to break up the violent scrap that saw both men kick and punch their victim on the body at around 11am on October 23 last year.

The siblings were back at the capital court on Thursday where they pleaded guilty to assaulting a man at Chambers Street, Edinburgh, on October 23 last year.

The court was told police officers were “alerted to two males fighting” at the entrance to the court building at around 11am on October 23 last year.

Sulayman Njie, 33, and Njanko Njie, 24, attacked one of their cousins as they were all leaving the Edinburgh Sheriff Court | Alex Lawrie

CCTV footage subsequently showed “both accused assaulting another male” and after officers broke the fight up the two men were arrested and placed in the back of a police van.

Sheriff John Cook told the brothers, of the city’s Leith area,  they would be have been sent to jail if the assault had taken place inside the building instead of in the court yard.

Sheriff Cook said: “This offence was committed outside the sheriff court which is a significant aggravation. People attend here and expect the conduct to be civilised and not have to walk past the spectacle of a fight going on between relatives.

“Had this happened inside the court then you would be going to prison today and appearing on indictment and going to prison for a significant period of time.”

Sheriff Cook sentenced the brothers to each carry out 180 hours of unpaid work and ordered the pair to wear an electronic tag and stay within their home between 7pm and 7am for the next 80 days.